Seattle Good Business Network DBA Good Business Network of Washington

What it reported doing in 2025

In 2025, our Good Food Economy initiatives continued to strengthen the local food chain by creating spaces for connection and collaboration across the Puget Sound, engaging 1,253 businesses and organizations through 1,593 individuals over the course of the year. Our flagship event, Good Food Connections, brought together over 370 producers, buyers, and community food stakeholders. The impact was immediate and tangible, with 71% of participants anticipating sales resulting from over 2,500 meaningful connections made and featuring 70 local producers through catered meals and a food expo. We debuted a new tasting and marketplace event, Taste of the Sound, connecting 70 local producers with over 100 buyers across multiple market channels and directly to the public. Our biannual dining promotion Seattle Restaurant Week drove customer visits to 314 restaurants, providing vital support for small, independent businesses in a slower season. We elevated community voices through focused listening sessions like Nourishing Local Connections, where, with partner organizations, we created a vital bridge between 195 food access organizations and 47 government representatives. This work led to policy recommendations including farm-to-food assistance investments and flexible grants for innovative new models to strengthen regional food security programming. Through ongoing facilitation of Good Food Forum, we continue to grow our community of now 1,600+ members, nurturing a vibrant ecosystem where all food businesses and organizations, including producers, chefs, schools, food assistance organizations, and more can find support, share resources, and collaborate on solutions that advance our regional food system. Through connections made on Good Food Exchange, our partners at Cascadia Produce redistributed 2.3 million pounds of rescued good food to over 70 food assistance organizations. These sales and donations guaranteed this good food was diverted to its highest use to people (95%), animals (4%), and compost (just 0.3%), ensuring no good food goes to waste and producers are paid for their food. Good Food Kitchens directed $69,002.55 to 9 community kitchen partners, sourcing from 34 local farms and producers, to prepare 8,132 nourishing, cultural meals for 13 organizations to distribute to community members.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 73.3%; rating input score 73
• Program expense ratio: 75.3%; rating input score 75
• Fundraising efficiency: $8.41 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 30; 30th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 85.7%; rating input score 86; 2nd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 1 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 17
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 81.9%; rating input score 82; 28th percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 5 of 8 controls in place; rating input score 62
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: Fail
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 2.6%; rating input score 35; 35th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.13; rating input score 4; 4th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 1.54; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 7.8%; rating input score 41; 41st percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 18.1% per year; rating input score 100; 81st percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 19.5% per year; rating input score 100; 86th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 19.1% per year; rating input score 100; 83rd percentile among comparable filings